Wireless charging-mediated angiogenesis and nerve repair by adaptable microporous hydrogels from conductive building blocks

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 5172 - 16
• Main Authors: Hsu, Ru-Siou, Li, Ssu-Ju, Fang, Jen-Hung, Lee, I-Chi, Chu, Li-An, Lo, Yu-Chun, Lu, Yu-Jen, Chen, You-Yin, Hu, Shang-Hsiu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 02.09.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13/51; 14; 14/34; 147/135; 631/378/1687; 631/378/368/2430; 631/61/54/990; 639/166/985; 692/699/375/1345; Angiogenesis; Brain; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Head injuries; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrogels; Medical imaging; multidisciplinary; Neural networks; Neuroimaging; Oxygenation; Recovery; Repair; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Traumatic brain injury; Wireless power transmission
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32912-x

Traumatic brain injury causes inflammation and glial scarring that impede brain tissue repair, so stimulating angiogenesis and recovery of brain function remain challenging. Here we present an adaptable conductive microporous hydrogel consisting of gold nanoyarn balls-coated injectable building blocks possessing interconnected pores to improve angiogenesis and recovery of brain function in traumatic brain injury. We show that following minimally invasive implantation, the adaptable hydrogel is able to fill defects with complex shapes and regulate the traumatic brain injury environment in a mouse model. We find that placement of this injectable hydrogel at peri-trauma regions enhances mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor by 180% and improves angiogenesis by 250% in vivo within 2 weeks after electromagnetized stimulation, and that these effects facilitate neuron survival and motor function recovery by 50%. We use blood oxygenation level-dependent functional neuroimaging to reveal the successful restoration of functional brain connectivity in the corticostriatal and corticolimbic circuits. Traumatic brain injury can cause long-term disability and thus constitutes a substantial healthcare burden worldwide. Here, the authors report a conductive microporous hydrogel to improve angiogenesis and recovery of brain function in traumatic brain lesions.